Several employees notified NBC 2 that they were fired by Southwest Florida's largest healthcare provider due to their various reasons for evacuating during the storm.

Mary Briggs, spokeswoman for Lee Health, released the following statement:

"During a hurricane, the care and safety of patients is our first priority. It is essential we have enough staff to care for our patients during a hurricane and that we have a second team ready to come in to relieve staff after the storm. A shortage of staff during a hurricane emergency could jeopardize the safety of patients and other employees.

Lee Health makes accommodations for employees to billet at a hospital campus before and after a hurricane and they are allowed to bring immediate family and their pets.

Essential staff is placed on Team A or Team B at the beginning of each hurricane season and they are expected to report for their shifts based on when their team is called in. These policies and procedures are communicated to employees along with the ramifications of non-compliance, which includes a corrective action plan that could result in termination.

Given the statewide catastrophic nature of Hurricane Irma and recognizing its impact is well beyond anything previously experienced, Lee Health has modified its hurricane response policy to provide leniency to employees who did not report in for a scheduled shift.

After Hurricane Irma passed, some Lee Health leaders followed the established policy in place prior to the storm and placed employees who did not report in as scheduled into corrective action, including in some cases termination. Because the modified policy is lenient toward employees who notified Lee Health that they would not be reporting to work for reasons related to Hurricane Irma, those individuals will be returned to their position. Employees who abandoned their position without notice will continue through the corrective action process.

We do not approach this situation lightly. Decisions are made based on what is the right thing to do for our patients, employees system wide and the community as a whole. Individual circumstances are being reviewed as needed to assure fair treatment for each employee.

We cannot forget though the efforts and sacrifices of our employees who reported for duty. On behalf of Lee Health, our patients and our community, we express sincere appreciation and respect for their commitment and dedication to our mission."

Some nurses indicated their supervisors were notifying them that their employment status was being reconsidered.